What was supposed to be a grandiose tribute to "Doctor" Valentino Rossi has turned into a state affair. In Pesaro, a monumental sculpture depicting a giant helmet, six meters high and weighing 400 kilos, originally designed to salute the Italian MotoGP legend, is now at the center of a legal and political storm. The work, financed with public funds, is now the symbol of an investigation that is shaking the Marche region in the run-up to the elections.
Dubbed "Affidopoli," the prosecutor's investigation targets Matteo Ricci, former mayor of Pesaro and current Democratic Party candidate for the region's presidency. He is suspected of corruption and falsification of public documents. The object of the alleged crime? A series of assignments deemed irregular totaling more than 600 000 euros intended for cultural associations, including the famous contract of 53 euros for helmet de Rossi, awarded without a call for tender, officially under the cover of extraordinary maintenance of green spaces.
The prosecutor's office suspects a covert operation, concealing transfers of funds to structures close to the municipal government under the pretext of urban development. Investigators are closely interested in the links between Ricci and the beneficiaries of these subsidies, including Stefano Esposto, president of the cultural association in question, Massimiliano Santini, coordinator of Ricci's current election campaign, and Franco Arceci, former chief of staff.
Valentino Rossi, a symbol in spite of himself
Faced with the scale of the suspicions, Ricci published a video to denounce what he calls a political attack: " I am surprised, bitter, and angry. I never managed the tenders or signed these contracts. If a partner makes a mistake, the mayor is the victim, not the accomplice. »
The political shock was immediate. The Five Star Movement, until then a strategic ally of the Democratic Party in the regional elections, suspended the electoral pact. Giuseppe Conte, its leader, demanded immediate clarification: If these facts are proven, they are incompatible with our principles. »
This break seriously compromises the union of the left against Francesco Acquaroli, the outgoing far-right governor.
But the case doesn't end there. The prosecutor's office has expanded the scope of the investigation to other projects, including murals, renovated underpasses, and roadworks, as well as the Pescheria Foundation and the state-owned company Aspes. What began as an artistic gesture to celebrate a national icon is gradually revealing the opaque management of public funds.
The statue of Valentino Rossi, a symbol of Italian speed and passion, now sits in the midst of a scandal that has nothing to do with racing. Pesaro, art has crossed paths with politics…and the courts may well be the finishing line.
